The New York Knicks need to insert Michael Beasley into the starting lineup if playoffs are their goal.

The New York Knicks need to insert Michael Beasley into the starting lineup if playoffs are their goal.

The New York Knicks continue to shoot themselves in the foot time after time. One would think that Jeff Hornacek would see the progress the team has been over the last few games and switch things up. With Kristaps Porzingis dealing with injuries off/on, Hornacek decided to start Michael Beasley and he took over the Knicks faithful like only Jeremy Lin could. But yet, Beasley is back on the bench.

According to Daily Knicks, the team will be without Tim Hardaway Jr. at least until after the Christmas Day game against the Philadelphia 76ers. With Hardaway out, the offense has relied on Courtney Lee as a scoring option when that’s clearly not his game. So why is Beasley not starting?

I can understand the Knicks need offense coming from the second unit but the results with Michael Beasley starting has been enough proof of what he brings to the table. Against the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 16, Beasley dropped 30 points on 11-18 shooting in 37 minutes in the Knicks win. His next game, he scored 23 points on 9-20 shooting in yet another Knicks win against the Charlotte Hornets.

But Beasly wasn’t finished. He would save his best for last against the Boston Celtics and their vaunted defense as he would score 32 points on 13-20 shooting while also grabbing 12 rebounds in the New York Knicks victory earlier this week. With chants of MVP parading through Madison Square Garden, you would think Hornacek would have seen enough. Nope. The next game, Beasley would only play 13 minutes in a loss to the Detroit Pistons and just like that, the Beasley ride is back to normal.

New York Knicks fans came together during his brief run and instead of milking it for as long as he can, Hornacek put a stop to a player with a hot hand. Over his tenure with the New York Knicks, I’ve supported Hornacek but a move like this proves he doesn’t understand his own team yet.

“Kristaps Porzingis did not play in the final 17:20 of the game, but Michael Beasley scored 27 of his season-high 32 in that stretch as the Knicks beat the Celtics.”

Beasley now has more 30-point games (3) this season than Kevin Love (2), Kemba Walker (2) and Klay Thompson (1). pic.twitter.com/NgdO8gxDqv

The MVP chants were a bit much, however, Beasley provided the team with a life-line they desperately needed against good teams. The first came during the Carmelo Anthony homecoming game. If that wasn’t enough, Beasley stepped up big-time without Porzingis on the road against Charlotte. Then to cap off his incredible run, Beasley went off against the top team in the Eastern Conference. How can anyone just ignore those stats?

What made Beasley’s position in the starting unit so good, is that he doesn’t waste too much time hoisting up unnecessary three-point attempts. He has the range to do so, however, Beasley is more of an attack the rim player. Pairing Beasley with Porzingis and Enes Kanter will give the Knicks a frontcourt worth mentioning with some of the tops in the NBA. It will also give point guards’ Jarrett Jack and Frank Ntilikina more options on the offensive end.